Vernon Yancey was sentenced to death by the State of Alabama for the murder of Mattie Sports
According to court documents Vernon Yancey would rob a grocery store and in the process would shoot and kill Mattie Sports
Vernon Yancey would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
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Where Is Vernon Yancey Now
Vernon Yancey is incarcerated at Holman Prison
Vernon Yancey Case
The State’s evidence tended to show that on March 23, 1995, Mattie “Pee-Wee” Sports was shot and killed with a sawed-off shotgun in Tyler’s Grocery Store where she worked as a cashier. On the night of the murder, at approximately 10:30 p.m., Sports and Lisa Navas, Sport’s daughter-in-law, were working at Tyler’s store when a customer entered. Approximately 10 minutes later, as the customer was leaving the parking lot of the store, he witnessed Yancey walking in the direction of the store and then turn away from the store. He was wearing only blue jeans; he was not wearing a shirt. Approximately five minutes after the customer left the store, a man wearing an orange ski mask and gloves and carrying a sawed-off shotgun, which was concealed by a raincoat entered the store. He walked directly toward Sports, pointed the shotgun at her, and fired it once, shooting her in the face from close range. She was killed instantly. Navas attempted to run to the bathroom and lock the door, but the man chased her and prevented her from doing so. He demanded money from her, and Navas gave him money from one of the cash registers,2 as well as money that was kept inside a Benson and Hedges brand carton of cigarettes. The man appeared to know that there was more money in the store than what was in the cash register. The owner the store later testified that approximately $1,500 was taken during the robbery. As Navas knelt down to obtain the money, she looked up and recognized the man as a frequent customer of the store, because the ski mask was loose and did not completely cover his face. She testified that she recognized his eyes and that she could clearly see his face. She stated that she then averted her eyes because she feared that he would realize that she had recognized him. The man took the money and ran from the store.
Navas, who was then lying on the floor by the victim, pushed a silent alarm button and called emergency 911 and waited for the police. She described the robber as wearing blue jeans but no shirt. She further informed the police that the store operated a security video tape, which was located in the owner’s office and which filmed the store at all times from behind the counter. The police telephoned the owner of the store and asked to view the security tape. The owner recognized the robber as a frequent customer and, although he could not recall his name, told the police that he worked for Rusco Plumbing, a business located close to the store. He stated that he knew of this employment because he often cashed payroll checks for the man. The owner stated that the man was easily identifiable because of his walk, which resembled that of a penguin. The police were subsequently able to identify Yancey after speaking with his employer. It was determined that Yancey lived on Rise Road, which was located very near the store and, in the course of searching the area surrounding the store following the crime, officers traveled down a path that lead to Rise Road. In doing so, they recovered an orange ski mask, which was subsequently identified by Yancey’s coworkers as belonging to him; paper straps containing money and loose dollar bills; unspent shotgun shells; a green raincoat; an empty Benson and Hedges brand cigarette carton; and a pair of gloves with the word “Buck” written on them.
Yancey’s coworkers also testified that they had seen him with these gloves before the murder, and the owner of the gloves identified them and stated that he had lost them on a job site where Yancey was also working. Under an abandoned house close to Yancey’s home, officers found shotgun shells and a shotgun with a sawed-off barrel which was later determined to have fired the spent shotgun shell through the right barrel. A witness who also had lived on Rise Road close to Yancey’s house testified that the shotgun had belonged to him and that it had been stolen from his house. He testified that, when he heard of the offense, he checked to see if the shotgun was missing and determined that it was gone. Another witness testified that he had recently loaned Yancey his hacksaw, which Yancey had returned to him a few days before the murder.
Vernon Yancey was arrested at his house; he had to be subdued with the use of pepper spray. A police officer testified that he noticed a bruise on Yancey’s torso at the level of his bicep; an expert witness for the State testified that such a bruise might be consistent with an injury caused from firing a sawed-off shotgun. A hair sample was taken from Yancey to compare with hairs found inside the ski mask, and they were determined to be consistent with Yancey’s hair.
Vernon Yancey did not testify during the guilt phase at trial. However, the defense presented the testimony of Yancey’s mother, who stated that Yancey was at home at the time of the offense.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/al-court-of-criminal-appeals/1241585.html
